Bigelow fire tower is no more

[MichaelJ]

"The watch tower now owned by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Land on top of Bigelow Mountain was burned Friday, April 15, according to Mark Russo with the Maine Forestry Fire Control based in Farmington."

"But Wing agreed that the tower had been vacant since about 1972 and with so many hikers on the Appalachian Trail there was a lot of vandalism. It was decided to close the tower, said Wing, and turn the observation of fires over to aircraft. It was harder and harder to get someone to live at the cabin which was about a third of a mile down from the tower, said Wing. That cabin is now used by Appalachian Trail hikers."

Complete news article from The Irregular

The tower in 2005:


The tower interior in 2005:

 

[erugs]

What a shame.

 

[RoySwkr]

Since it was kept locked and boarded up, it was just an eyesore and a target for vandals

It's too bad it wasn't left open for hikers, then there would have been a desire to maintain it

 

[TDawg]

Sounds as if this was a planned thing with no mention of arson in the article, correct?

Maybe the foundation will be left as a wind fortress a la Mt. Garfield.

Either way, glad I made it up there while it was still around.

 

[Guthook]

Since it was kept locked and boarded up, it was just an eyesore and a target for vandals

I never thought of it as an eyesore, but I certainly don't think taking it away detracts from the mountain at all. I thought the tower had been boarded up for years, and I often hear of AT hikers breaking in to sleep in it. Oh well. The views will still be gorgeous.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Since it was kept locked and boarded up, it was just an eyesore and a target for vandals

It's too bad it wasn't left open for hikers, then there would have been a desire to maintain it

I the olden days we camped in the boxed-in lookout tower on Carrigain, when there was snow on the ground for melting, as I was suspicious of the well water there even back then.

Unfortunately, because the lookout tower was left open, it got trashed, so the USFS tore it down in the 1970s.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Maybe the foundation will be left as a wind fortress a la Mt. Garfield.

I think that the USFS should jackhammer off all of this unsightly concrete.

 

[MichaelJ]

I think that the USFS should jackhammer off all of this unsightly concrete.

I agree. That old foundation does nothing to improve the summit of Garfield, especially since it's full of broken glass. A rock scree wall would be far nicer.

The original article certainly isn't clear on intentional burn vs arson, but when the Sun-Journal reprinted the article with permission, they gave it the headline "Maine Forest Service razes old fire tower on Bigelow Mountain".

 

[BillDC]

This was a planned event by Maine P+L for many years. They just got around to doing it this year. Issues with liability, vandals, and encroachment onto the area where rare alpine plants grow were the primary reasons given.

Some efforts were made over the years to restore it, but no efforts got traction. I am glad I visited it one last time last year. All we have now are the memories.

Bill

 

[Mike P.]

Did they leave the stone foundation, ala Garfield? It makes a convenient place to get out of the wind.

Vandals? That's a bit of hike to carry spray paint. (I never walked more than a mile back in those mischievous days) Were hikers scratching their names into it?

(An hour after typing this, a kid rang my doorbell & took off. I found him as he rang a neighbors bell, he never saw me until I opened my mouth. As sneaky as ever, however, not as fast as I was once either)

 

[Tom Rankin]

Vandals?

Vandals, as in break in to the structure. I've seen several pictures of this very act posted here!

 

[MichaelJ]

Note for the record I didn't break in, I reached my hand up, holding my camera, through an opening in the structure.

 

[askus3]

Here is a link to that boarded up fire tower in 1981. This photo was taken on July 15, 1981.

 

[eddie]

My two cents...

Michael J's picture is really what got me thinking that this structure still had some value. I really have no emotional tie to this structure other than having seen it once and recognizing it as part of Maine's mountain and forest history. I do believe it was too simple a solution to just destroy a remnant of the past, blaming it on vandalism. Similar to saving the New York State firetowers, maybe putting some funds (government or donated) into the structure to restore it, giving it a historical sign describing its past use and trying to restore the tower's dignity would have made visitors respect it and actually get a histroy lesson. A nice little reminder of the past on that beautiful summit. These little historical treasures are disappearing too fast and too easily.

 

[erugs]

Michael J's picture is really what got me thinking that this structure still had some value....I do believe it was too simple a solution to just destroy a remnant of the past, blaming it on vandalism....A nice little reminder of the past on that beautiful summit. These little historical treasures are disappearing too fast and too easily.

My thoughts exactly. That's why historians like to save things that are unique and otherwise gone. We can't save everything, but this seemed the easy way out. Maybe that's all that matters in these tough times?

 

[Stan]

... These little historical treasures are disappearing too fast and too easily.

There are quite a few old fire towers out west that are now available for overnight rental (usually in the range of $30-40/night). They typically sleep 4-6, are primitive and have dynamite views. Many are accessed by some combination of high clearance logging roads and/or hiking in, some have more conventional access. A look at their availability suggests they are reasonably popular and a source of funds in helping to maintain them. You can find them listed on Reserve America.

 

[hikes-with-him]

I think its a shame...it was such a neat thing to see from W. Peak and the Horn...especially when thinking about the history...

Anyway...

Hoping to hike there SOON...any trail conditions? Or...is the road opened yet?

 

[TLP]

So here's what I discovered when I went up there. What's left of the tower. It looks terrible now. There's still glass and boards lying around there.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f381/tlpnj/IMG_3537.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f381/tlpnj/IMG_3533.jpg

 

[TCD]

Looks like it meets the definition of "vandalism."

 

[Tom Rankin]

Looks like it meets the definition of "vandalism."

Hmm, looks like the 'warm smell' thread all over again?